Conte could take Italy job but doubts grow

Antonio Conte could return to the Italy national team, but serious doubts remain over whether the move will happen.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed he would allow his coach to leave for the national job, yet openly questioned the current state of Italian football governance.

“If Antonio asked me, I would say yes,” De Laurentiis said.

“But he is very intelligent. Without a serious structure, I think he would not accept leading something completely disorganized.”

The Italy job became vacant after Gennaro Gattuso stepped down following the painful defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup play-offs.

The failure confirmed a deeper crisis.

Italy has now missed the World Cup in 2018, 2022, and 2026, a sequence that has triggered major changes within the federation.

FIGC president Gabriele Gravina resigned, followed by delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon, leaving the system in transition.

Conte is seen as one of the strongest candidates to restore order.

He previously coached the national team between 2014 and 2016, leading Italy to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals.

Since then, he has built a reputation as one of Europe’s top managers, winning titles with Chelsea, Inter, most recently Napoli.

Despite that, structural problems may prove decisive.

De Laurentiis did not hold back in his criticism.

“Serie A is treated like Cinderella. It has only 18 percent influence, while amateurs and players control the majority.”

“Without Serie A, the federation would not exist. We finance it with around €130 million each year.”

He also backed Giovanni Malagò, president of CONI, as the right figure to lead reforms.

The situation leaves Conte at a crossroads.

The opportunity to lead Italy carries prestige, but the lack of stability and clear direction could push him to stay at Napoli.

For now, the decision depends less on the coach and more on whether Italian football can fix its internal structure.